Indirect excitation of Er3+ in sol-gel hybrid films doped with an erbium complex

Abstract
Transparent sol-gel hybrid films doped with erbium tris 8-hydroxyquinoline were prepared using methyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, and phenyltrimethoxysilane as precursors. We obtain a strong 1.53-μm Er 3+ luminescence with a wide full width at half-maximum and no thermal quenching. Comparison of absorption of the film with the pump wavelength dependence of Er 3+ luminescence intensity indicates the presence of an efficient indirect excitation path for Er 3+ via organic ligands.